Left to right: Justin Burrell (Managing Director), Steven Benham (Commercial Director) and Chris Church (Operations Manager).
Letchworth Garden City-based packaging specialist Barton Jones Ltd has taken another major step in its manufacturing strategy following the installation of the UK’s first GTS Boxstar 2800 short-run box maker. Supplied by GTS Europe, the new arrival marks a significant expansion in the company’s large-format and heavy-duty corrugated boxmaking capabilities.
The investment forms part of a broader expansion programme at Barton Jones’ Hertfordshire facility. Following a 30% increase in warehouse and production footprint, as well as extensive estate modernisation by the landlord including new roofing and external cladding, the business has also unveiled a completely redesigned, customer-focussed website.
Strategic Manufacturing Growth
Having provided packaging distribution and merchanting services since 1993, Barton Jones began manufacturing corrugated packaging in-house in 2019. Since then, the business has progressively increased the proportion of customer orders produced within its own manufacturing operation.
“Our short-term objective is to achieve a balanced 50:50 split between merchant-supplied packaging and products manufactured in-house,” explains Justin Burrell, Managing Director, Barton Jones. “Our manufacturing operation has developed around low-to-medium production runs, bespoke sizes, and the ability to respond quickly to individual customer requirements. The arrival of the Boxstar 2800 extends this capability, particularly when it comes to large-format and heavy-duty corrugated packaging.”
With a working width of up to 2.8m and the ability to process long corrugated sheets, the new machine allows Barton Jones to produce a wider range of oversized, doublewall, and triplewall packaging for demanding industrial transit applications. Because the machine manufactures box styles without conventional tooling dies, bespoke production becomes commercially viable even at relatively low order quantities.
Combining Merchant Diversity with In-House Production
The hybrid business model operated by Barton Jones ensures customers receive the best of both worlds: the broad range, stockholding, and distribution reliability of an established merchant, paired with agile, bespoke manufacturing.
“Where a standard product is the most appropriate and economical solution, we can supply it directly from stock,” says Justin Burrell. “Where the product, dimensions, weight, or transit conditions require something tailored, we now have the capability to design and manufacture the exact solution in-house.”
This dual capability underpins the company’s free packaging review service, where existing packaging setups are assessed for opportunities to enhance protection, reduce material waste, simplify packing processes, and optimise storage footprint.
“Having originally joined Barton Jones a decade ago, taking an ownership stake in the business represents a hugely rewarding personal milestone for me,” says Steven Benham, Commercial Director. “This investment in the Boxstar 2800 is central to our broader commercial strategy as we target doubling our turnover over the next four years and establish ourselves as an even more significant player in the UK corrugated sector.”
Enhancing the Digital Customer Journey
Alongside physical shop-floor investments, Barton Jones has completely revamped its online presence. The new website brings together bespoke manufacturing, technical resources, industry expertise, and traditional stock packaging ranges.
Central to the new site is Packassist, an interactive packaging selection tool designed to guide customers towards the correct structural and material choices based on what they are packing, storing, or transporting. The digital tool bridges the gap between traditional sales consultancy and direct online ordering, while retaining seamless access to the technical team for complex requirements.
Industry Knowledge and Partnership
Selecting the Boxstar 2800 was backed by a strong, established relationship with GTS Europe. The supplier’s thorough understanding of Barton Jones’ operational goals were central to aligning the equipment choice with the company’s long-term development strategy. Working closely with Arran Sethi, Machinery Consultant, GTS Europe, the team ensured that the investment met every operational criterion.
“Having a machinery partner that understands both where we have come from and where we are heading was an essential part of this investment,” notes Justin Burrell. “The requirement wasn’t simply for additional production capacity, but for a machine that would complement our strengths in short and medium production runs while opening up new opportunities in large-format heavy-duty corrugated.”
Left to right: Arran Sethi and Ray Harris, GTS Europe.
“Working with Justin and his team has been a brilliant experience,” adds Arran Sethi. “Their transition from traditional merchant roots into a high-capability, hybrid manufacturer is a model for how modern packaging businesses can deliver total flexibility. Installing the first GTS Boxstar 2800 in the UK gives Barton Jones an exceptional platform to capture high-value, bespoke short-run work and heavy-duty industrial orders without setup delays.”
With the GTS Boxstar 2800 now operational, Barton Jones is fully equipped to expand its reach across bespoke, large-format, and heavy-duty corrugated packaging markets across the UK.
